THE CAUCUS; BATTLEGROUND: On the Attack in West Virginia

By ASHLEY PARKER

Published: September 29, 2010

Washington's senatorial campaign committees are taking a particular interest in West Virginia this election cycle.

On Tuesday, both the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee released ads in the state, each attacking the other party's candidate for Senate in November's special election to complete the term of the late Robert C. Byrd.

The Democratic committee's 30-second spot seeks to ''introduce'' John Raese, a businessman and the Republican Senate nominee, to voters by featuring footage of him as a narrator says that Mr. Raese ''wants to eliminate the minimum wage'' and ''failed to pay workers compensation for on-the-job injuries.'' It is the committee's first ad in the state.

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Jim Dornan, Mr. Raese's campaign manager, said that the workers compensation claim was the result of a $3,300 bookkeeping error and that Greer Industries, Mr. Raese's company, paid if off as soon as it was brought to their attention.

The Republican committee, meanwhile, released a minute-long radio spot Tuesday that aims to link Gov. Joe Manchin III, the Democratic nominee, to Washington and President Obama. The ad features two men talking about how ''the federal government's making it real hard to make a living these days'' and lamenting Mr. Manchin's ties to the nation's capital.

''It's like he's a different person when it comes to Washington,'' says one man.

The other responds: ''I know, I know. It's like, there's West Virginia Joe, who's not bad as governor. Then he becomes Washington Joe, a 'yes man' for Barack Obama and the Washington liberals.''

The radio ad follows closely on the Republican Senate committee's first advertising foray into the state, a $1.2 million buy Friday that sought to characterize Mr. Manchin as a rubber stamp for Mr. Obama's policies.

Mr. Manchin, who is considered a moderate, received endorsements last week by groups more frequently associated with Republicans, including the National Rifle Association and both the United States and West Virginia Chamber of Commerce.

This is a more complete version of the story than the one that appeared in print.